System and method for rescuing an individual from a body of water

ABSTRACT

A rescue system and method includes a net which is mounted on a bridge or overpass so that it generally hangs therefrom. Attachment ropes are secured to the upper edge portion of the net and to a suitable vehicle on the bridge or overpass. The net has lateral border straps which are preferably channeled so that a cable can movably pass therethrough. The lower edge portion of the net has a pair of hooks secured thereto to which a ballast weight is attached. The hooks have a quick release mechanism allowing the ballast to be released from the net when an imperiled person is in a rescue position adjacent the net. A pair of lifting ropes are connected to lower corners of the net which allow the bottom of the net to be pulled up and thereby enclose the individual therein and also allow the individual to be lifted out of the body of water.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to rescue systems and methodsand more particularly to improved rescue systems and methods forremoving an imperiled person from a moving body of water.

Rescuing a person from a body of water is becoming a more common problemdue to the population growth of areas which are subject to unexpectedtorrential rainfall. In addition, many heavily populated areas notuncommonly experience flooding due to dam rupture as well as many othercauses. The resulting flood waters typically move very quickly throughan area and with great force due to the high volume of water involved.

Prior art systems and methods for rescuing a person from a moving bodyof water have included simply throwing a rope to the imperiled person.Often, a rope may be attached to a flotation device. However, one of theprimary shortcomings of such systems and methods is that the person tobe rescued is required to have and utilize a very high degree ofstrength in order to maintain a firm grip on such a rope or flotationdevice because of the relatively high speed at which he is moving in thewater. This becomes even more difficult to accomplish if, as is common,the person in the body of water is unconscious or in a weakened statedue to hypothermia or due to exhaustion from attempting to swim tosafety or due to injury or inhalation of water. Indeed, since it is verycommon for flood waters to include a very large mass of water moving atvery high speeds, it becomes much more likely that an imperiled personwill become quickly weakened due to exhaustion, personal injury or waterinhalation. Moreover, it is often difficult for the person to be rescuedto be able to grab a hold of such a rope or flotation device because ofhis speed relative to the rescuing person. In addition, because of thisoften great difference in relative speed between the rescuer andrescuee, the rescuer is often unable to accurately throw the rope closeenough to the rescuee to allow him to grab it. The high degree of forcewith which the flood waters push the imperiled individual require acorrespondingly high degree of strength to grab a hold of and maintain afirm grip on such a rope or flotation device in order for the rescue tobe successful. Consequently, regardless of whether the rescue systemequipment is thrown to a drowning person from a bridge, a shore or ahelicopter, these problems often prevent such a rescue operation frombeing successful.

A rescue system and method is thus needed that does not require a highdegree of strength from the rescuee in order for the rescue operation tobe successful. A rescue system and method is also needed that is capableof rescuing an unconscious or otherwise passive person from a movingbody of water. A rescue system and method is also needed that may be setup easily and quickly in order to reach the imperiled individual in timefor the rescue operation to be successful.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a rescuesystem and method which can effectively rescue a weakened or injuredindividual from a body of water.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a rescue systemand method which can effectively rescue an unconscious or otherwisepassive individual from a body of water.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a rescue systemand method which is capable of rescuing a person from a moving body ofwater.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a rescuesystem and method which is able to be set up quickly and easily.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a rescue systemand method which may be mounted and hung from a bridge or overpass.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a rescue systemand method which may be quickly positioned in order to enable timelyrescue of an imperiled person.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a rescue systemand method which is portable to facilitate transportation to a desiredrescue area.

It is also another object of the present invention to provide a rescuesystem and method which may be attached to and operated from a vehicle.

The rescue system and method of the present invention is specificallydesigned to generally enclose an imperiled person in a net while theperson is in a body of water. The system and method of the presentinvention is also specifically designed to operatively position a net ina body of water so that the net can generally hold and prevent excessivemovement of an imperiled person in the water in order to facilitateremoval of the person therefrom.

Essentially, the net is immersed in a body of water and properlypositioned therein relative to the current flow and relative to theposition of the imperiled person in the water so that the water willgenerally move the imperiled person up against the net. A ballast and apair of lifting ropes attached to the net structures generally preventthe net from giving way and thus block the person from further movementin the water. The pair of lifting ropes are attached to lowermostportions of the net, enabling the lowermost portions to be generallypicked up (after the ballast is released from the net) thereby generallyholding these portions over the person and generally enclosing theperson within the net. Once the person is properly enclosed in the net,the ropes are reeled in thereby lifting the net and the person containedtherein out of the water enabling the person to be put in a place ofsafety.

The system of the invention is especially effective in rescuing anindividual from a body of water flowing underneath a bridge or othersimilar overpass. The net structure is attached at its upper end portionvia attachment ropes to suitable bridge structures or simply to a truckor other vehicle on the bridge. Once the net upper end portion isproperly secured, the net is simply dropped from the bridge into thebody of water and positioned so that the water will carry the individualup against the net. The three attachment ropes are also attached atupper ends thereof to suitable bridge structures or to suitable vehiclestructures enabling the ropes to be reeled in once the rescuee isproperly contained in the net. The net is dimensionally large enough toengage and hold the individual thereagainst, preventing further movementthereof, and enabling the completion of the rescue operation.

It is an important advantage of the present invention that the rescueeis generally completely contained in the net. Because of this uniquefeature, the person does not have to utilize his own strength to grab orhold any rescue device or rescue equipment in order to be successfullyrescued. Indeed, the person to be rescued need not hold or do anythingand may instead be completely passive. This is especially importantbecause the person to be rescued may be unconscious or be in such aweakened state as to preclude his effective cooperation in the rescueoperation. This unique feature of the present invention is in sharpcontrast to prior art systems which typically require the person to berescued to be conscious, alert and to have a certain degree of strengthnecessary to grab a hold of the rescue equipment thrown out to him orher.

Since the present invention is relatively lightweight and relativelysimple in structure and use, it is easily portable allowing it to becarried on a truck or simply carried by one or more rescue personnel.The simplicity of the present invention allows it to be quickly andeasily unpacked and properly set up. Consequently, the present inventionmay be quickly transported to a place where it is needed to rescue animperiled person and quickly set up and lowered into the water in timeto rescue that person. The simplicity of the present invention alsoallows it to be quickly dissasembled and packed. Thus, after the presentinvention has been used to perform one rescue operation, it may bedisassembled and packed and transported to another rescue area toperform another rescue operation.

It is also an important advantage of the invention that a rescuer neednot enter the body of water or even be proximal the body of water inorder to successfully rescue the individual. Thus, the rescuer need notrisk his own life to rescue an imperiled person. In contrast, some priorart systems require, for effective use of such prior art systems, thatthe rescuer actually personally attach rescue equipment to the imperiledperson. With such prior art systems, the rescuer may be required tosubject himself or herself to potentially serious injury from theflailing arms and legs of the imperiled individual who is often in astate of panic. In addition, with such prior art systems, the rescuermay be subjected to the risk of serious injury caused by being struck byfloating tree limbs or other such debris moving often very quickly inthe water. Moreover, it is frequently very difficult to attach a deviceto or personally reach a drowning person who is often being carriedalong very quickly by the water currents. Thus, the system and method ofthe present invention has a much greater chance of success in rescuingan imperiled person from a body of water than many other conventionalprior art systems and methods.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention showing the netthereof partly enclosing an imperiled person in order that the person inthe net may be pulled from the water to a place of safety.

FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of the system of the present inventionshowing the net thereof attached to a truck and hanging from a bridge.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the net and other components of the system ofthe present invention.

FIG. 4A is a front isometric view of the ballast hook, release mechanismthereof and portions of the cable, ballast and net of the system of thepresent invention.

FIG. 4B is a side isometric view of the ballast hook, release mechanismthereof and portions of the cable, ballast and net of the system of thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the double safety hook of the system ofthe invention shown connected to a ring at a lateral border strap.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the clew plate of the present invention alsoshowing the cables connected to the bottom portion thereof and thecontrol cable connected to a top portion thereof.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the rope stake of the system of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings, the rescue system of the presentinvention is generally designated by the numeral 10. The system 10includes a flexible member which is preferably simply a net 12 whichpreferably includes a lower portion 14 and an upper portion 16. Thesystem 10 preferably also includes a ballast 18 which is attached to thenet 12 preferably at a lower edge portion 20 thereof by means ofpreferably a ballast hook 20.

The system 10 preferably includes three attachment ropes or straps 26which preferably connect the net 12 at an upper edge portion 22 thereofto a truck 28 located on a bridge or overpass 30, as shown in FIG. 1.This allows the net 12 to generally hang down from the bridge oroverpass 22, as shown in FIG. 1. The net 12 is preferably positioned sothat it is at least partially immersed in a body of water 32 under thebridge 30. More preferably, the net 12 is also positioned so that itgenerally faces the direction of current flow enabling it to generallyblock the path of an imperiled person being carried along by the watercurrents. Thus, this positioning enables the net 12 to generally blockmovement of and catch the imperiled person who is, in effect, pushedinto the net 12 by the water currents.

A pair of lifting ropes 34 are preferably also provided which havepreferably double safety type of rope hooks 25 at lower end portions 36thereof so that the ropes 34 may be hooked up to corner portions 40 ofthe lower portion 14 of the net 12. The ropes 34 and hooks 25 enable thelower portion 14 to be pulled up in order to generally curl the lowerportion 14 up and move the net 12 into a trough configuration andthereby generally enclose an imperiled person within the net 12, asshown in FIG. 1. The ropes 34 are preferably attached at upper endportions 38 thereof to the truck 28, and, more preferably, the upperportions 38 are coiled around a looped portion 43 of a rope stake 42which is preferably secured to a sleeved structure of the truck 28. Therope stake 42 allows the use of a very long length of rope because itcan essentially take up slack in the rope, thereby allowing greaterleeway in the positioning of the truck 28 relative to the net 12. Theropes 34 may simply be pulled up by hand to thereby manually lift andgenerally remove the net 12 and the rescued person from the water 32.Alternatively, the upper portions 38 may be secured to a drum structure(not shown) or other such means for reeling in the ropes 34 in order tolift the rescuee out of the water 32.

The net 12 is preferably approximately rectangular and preferably isapproximately 17 feet wide and approximately 20 feet long. Once immersedin the water 32, the water currents will typically form a pocket 44 inthe net 12 such that the width of the net 12 becomes approximately 2feet less than the flattened out width. Thus, this width dimensioning ofthe net 12 enables the net 12 to generally fit between the pylons 46 ofthe bridge or overpass 30. The pylons 46 are typically spacedapproximately 15 to 20 feet apart. The openings or apertures 48 of thenet 12 are preferably approximately one foot in diagonal measurements.This dimensional sizing enables the openings 48 to be large enough bothto allow sufficient quantities of water to pass therethrough to minimizewaterflow drag and to avoid picking up unwanted debris. This dimensionalsizing also enables the openings 48 to be small enough to facilitatecontaining and holding the rescued person within the net 12.

The net 12 preferably includes netting straps 50 which are preferablysecured together at suitable portions thereof to form the nettingstructure. The straps 50 are preferably composed of a nylon material forstrength and water resistance. However, other suitable materials mayalso be utilized. The net 12 is preferably laterally bordered by lateralstraps 52 having a preferably two inch width. Lateral border straps 52are preferably provided with rings 54 for attachment of the rope hooks25 thereto. The rings (preferably delta type rings) 54 are preferablyattached to the lateral border straps 52 at preferably lower endportions 56 thereof and at preferably generally medial portions 58thereof, as shown. This placement of the rings 54 enables the ropes 34to be attached to the net 12 at locations which enable it to accommodatedifferent depths of water or to accommodate different sizes of personsto be rescued.

In addition, rings 54 are also connected to upper end portions 60 oflateral border straps 52 and central border straps 64 in order to allowthe attachment ropes 26 to be secured to the net 12 for attachment tothe truck 28, as described hereinabove. Alternatively, however, insteadof being attached to the truck 28, attachment ropes 26 may simply besecured to a railing or other suitable structure of the bridge oroverpass 30. Similarly, the ropes 34 may alternatively also be attachedto the railing or other suitable structures of the bridge or overpass 30rather than the truck 28, if desired. In addition, both or either ropes34 and 26 may be simply held by persons suitably located on the bridge30, if desired.

The netting straps 50 preferably are of approximately one inch width andapproximately 1/16 thickness and of preferably nylon composition. Thiscomposition and sizing of the straps 50 allows them to have sufficientstrength to withstand the forces exerted thereon by a person who isbeing carried along by a very rapidly moving body of water. For example,this composition and sizing of the straps 50 enables them to withstandthe forces generated by flash flood waters moving at speeds of 30 milesper hour through a viaduct. In addition, since the net straps 50 aregenerally flat at the faces 62 of the net 12 where they are likely tocome in contact with the rescued person, the pressures resulting fromtheir contact with the rescuee will not generally be high enough tocause any serious bodily injury to the rescuee. Although the net 12 mayalternatively be constructed of netting ropes, the circularcross-sectional construction of such ropes may, due to their smallercontact area (with the rescuee), produce sufficiently high pressures onthe rescuee to cause significant injury thereto. Consequently, the strapconstruction provides a higher degree of safety than the ropeconstruction.

Generally, it is preferable that the net 12 be generally verticallypositioned in the body of water 32 and oriented so that its face 62 isgenerally approximately normal to the direction of water flowtherethrough in order that it be more effective in generally blockingmovement in the water 32 of the person to be rescued. The ballast 18 isprovided to generally keep the net 12 in this preferred approximatelyvertical position when immersed in the water 32. The ballast 18 alsopreferably generally keeps the net 12 in a generally approximately flatconfiguration in order to enhance its effectiveness in both blocking andcapturing the person to be rescued. This is generally accomplished bythe provision of a central border strap 64. The central border strap 64in conjunction with the lateral border straps 52 and the ballast 18mounted at the lower edge portion 20 of the lower portion 14 of the net12 tends to keep the net 12 in a generally flat configuration, i.e.,both laterally and vertically in an extended position. This alsomaximizes the blocking area of the net 12 thereby enhancing itseffectiveness. However, water currents will typically produce a pocket44 in the net so as to move the lateral edges 23 thereof inwardly up toapproximately a total of 2 feet.

The ballast hooks 24 are preferably attached to lower edge portions 65of the central border strap 64 and lower end portions 56 of lateralborder straps 52 preferably by means of looped flaps 55. The ballasthooks 24 are preferably provided with a quick release mechanism 66.Cables 68 are attached to the ballast hooks 24 and the quick releasemechanism 66. In operation, a generally vertical upward movement of thecables 68 will activate the quick release mechanism 66 and result inrelease of the ballast 18 thereby allowing it to drop from the net 12.The mechanism 66 preferably includes a hook main body 88, a hooklatching member 90 and a spring 92 which presses against a plate 94thereby keeping the member 90 in a locked or latched position against anindentation or aperture 96 on the plate. The unique construction of thequick release mechanism 66 precludes lateral forces from activatingrelease mechanism 66. Therefore, the quick release mechanism 66 cannotbe activated prior to its desired time by water current forces orgenerally by forces other than upward movement of the cable 68. Thus,the ballast 18 cannot be released prior its desired time therebyotherwise hampering rescue operations. The central border strap 64 andlateral border straps 52 are preferably sleeved or channeled so that thecable 68 may movably extend through the channel or open area 70 of thesleeves 72 of straps 52 and 64 while being protected from the elementsand from entanglement with other lines, each other or debris which maybe floating in the water 32. The cables 68 preferably extend generallyupwardly and outwardly from the open areas 70 of the sleeves 72 of upperend portions 60 and 67 of the straps 52 and 64, and are preferablyconnected at upper end portions 74 thereof to a clew plate 76 which ispositioned generally above the net 12. A control cable 78 is preferablyconnected at a lower portion 80 thereof to a hook (preferably a doublesafety hook) 98. The hook 98 is preferably connected to an upper portion82 of the clew plate via insertion of hook 98 into hole 84 of plate 76,as shown in FIG. 3. The control cable 78 allows quick and easyactivation of the quick release mechanism by simply manually pulling thecable 78. The pulling force required to activate the quick releasemechanism 66 is preferably high enough (approximately 25 pounds offorce) to prevent accidental activation thereof.

In operation, the net 12 is dropped into the water 32 so that it isgenerally immersed in the body of water 32. The ballast 18 which isconnected to the lower portion 14 of the net 12 allows the net 12 to begenerally flat and preferably positioned approximately perpendicular tothe direction of water flow, as previously stated. The ballastpreferably has ballast holes 86 therein positioned approximately 12inches apart and at opposing surfaces thereof. The holes 86 arepreferably approximately one inch in diameter and are preferably spaced90 degrees apart, as shown. The holes 86 allow water to flowtherethrough and thereby facilitate dropping the net into the water 32.When the person to be rescued floats up against the net 12, the quickrelease mechanism 66 is preferably manually activated by means of thecontrol cable 78 thereby allowing release of the ballast 18. Once theballast 18 drops from the net 12, the ropes 34 are pulled up therebygenerally lifting the lower portion 14 of the net 12 to generallyenclose and retain the rescuee in the net 12. Once the rescuee isgenerally enclosed and secured in the net 12, preferably both the ropes26 and ropes 34 are pulled upward, thereby lifting the entire netstructure 12 and person contained therein out of the body of water 32and onto the bridge 30 or other place of safety. The ropes 34 and 26 maybe either manually pulled up or simply attached to the truck 28 so thatthe truck 28 may be driven in a direction which results in movement ofand removal of both the net 12 and person contained therein from thewater 32.

The net structure 12 of system 10 of the present invention may also besuspended from suitable structures located at each of the banks orshores of the viaduct or moving body of water 32 rather than from bridgeor overpass 30. In addition, the net 12 may also optionally be held viaropes 26 and ropes 34 by persons located at each of the banks or shoresof the viaduct or moving body of water 32. In this type of set-up, oneperson at one of the banks or shores may operate the control cable 78while also controlling one of the attachment ropes 26 and one of thelifting ropes 34. Generally, when the net 12 is suspended this way, thepulling force on the ropes 34 and 26 instead of being generally verticalwill be angular or approximately horizontal. Moreover, in operation,once the rescued person is enclosed in the net 12, the net 12 and personcontained therein are pulled to one side of the viaduct and placed onthe bank or the shore rather than lifted onto the bridge 30. This typeof set-up also allows the persons holding and operating the componentsof the system 10 to move the net 12 toward and up against the imperiledindividual in the water 32 in order to more quickly and effectivelycapture the individual in the net 12.

Accordingly, there has been provided, in accordance with the invention,a rescue system which is safer and more effective than many other priorart rescue systems and methods as well as being faster to set up anduse. It is to be understood that all the terms used therein aredescriptive rather than limiting. Although the invention has beendescribed in conjunction with the specific embodiment set forth above,many alternative embodiments, modifications and variations will beapparent to those skilled in the art in light of the disclosure setforth herein. Accordingly, it is intended to include all suchalternatives, embodiments, modifications, and variations that fallwithin the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claimshereinbelow.

I claim:
 1. A system for rescuing an imperiled individual from a body ofwater, comprising:a net for blocking undesired movement of theindividual in the body of water and for at least partly enclosing theindividual therein, said net including netting straps having generallyflat faces and having a first width; said net further including firstand second lateral border straps, and a centrally located border strap,said first and second lateral border straps and said centrally locatedborder strap also having generally flat faces and each having a secondwidth, each said second width being greater than said first width; aballast attached to lower ends of said first an second lateral borderstraps and said centrally located border strap, said first and secondlateral border straps, said centrally located border strap, and saidballast tending to keep said net in a generally flat configuration whenblocking undesired movement of the individual so as to maximize theblocking area of said net; and means for removing at least a portion ofsaid net together with the individual from the body of water.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein said netting straps are of approximately oneinch width and approximately one sixteenth inch thickness and saidnetting straps are composed of nylon.
 3. The system of claim 2 whereinsaid means for removing is a vehicle.
 4. The system of claim 1 whereinsaid ballast is releasably connected to said net.
 5. The system of claim1 wherein said not includes apertures of approximately one foot indiagonal measurement.
 6. A system for rescuing an imperiled individualfrom a body of water, comprising:a net for blocking undesired movementof the individual in the body of water and for at least partly enclosingthe individual therein; means for removing at least a portion of saidnet together with the individual from the body of water, said means forremoving including a rope stake for insertion into a structure locatedgenerally outside the body of water, said rope stake having a loopedportion, and a pair of ropes connected at upper end portions thereof tosaid looped portion and at lower end portions thereof to a lower portionof said net.
 7. A system for rescuing an individual from a body ofwater, comprising:a net having an upper edge portion and a lowerportion; a plurality of attachment straps connected to the upper edgeportions of said net and to a vehicle located generally outside the bodyof water; a rope stake inserted into a structure of the vehicle; a pairof ropes attached at lower end portions thereof to the lower portion ofsaid net and at upper end portions thereof to said rope stake in orderto move said net into a configuration for at least partly enclosing theindividual in order to remove the individual together with said net fromthe body of water.
 8. The system of claim 7 further including a ballastdetachably connected to a lower portion of said net in order to positionsaid net in the body of water for enhancing effective blocking of saidnet, said ballast having a plurality of holes for allowing water to passtherethrough.
 9. The system of claim 8 further including:a cable; a hookconnected to said ballast; a quick release mechanism connected to saidhook and to said cable for manual detachment of said ballast from saidnet from a location generally distal of said hook.
 10. The system ofclaim 9 wherein said net includes a strap laterally bordering said net,said strap having a channel therein extending generally entire lengththereof for allowing said cable to movably pass therethrough in order toguide said cable and to generally protect and prevent entanglement ofsaid cable.
 11. The system of claim 9 wherein said quick releasemechanism includes:a main body; a latch member rotatably connected tosaid main body; a plate slidably mounted on said main body and connectedto said cable, said plate having an indentation, the indentationreceiving said latch member to enable said latch member to retain saidballast in said hook; a spring mounted on said main body and engagingsaid plate, said spring exerting a force on said plate in order toretain said latch member in said indentation, generally upward movementof said cable disengaging said plate from said latch member to allowweight of said ballast to rotate said latch member and release saidballast from said hook.
 12. The system of claim 7 further including:afirst pair of rings attached to lower corner portions of said net; asecond pair of rings attached to medial portions of said net,positioning of said pairs of rings at said lower corner and medialportions allowing adjustment of dimensional size of a trough formed bysaid net and adjustment of degree of immersion of said net in the bodyof water by selective attachment of said pair of ropes to said firstpair of rings or to said second pair of rings.
 13. The system of claim 7wherein said rope stake is removably insertable into the vehiclestructure and has a looped portion to enable the pair of ropes to becoiled around said looped portion.
 14. The system of claim 7 whereinsaid net is dimensioned and includes netting straps having generallyflat faces.
 15. A method for rescuing an imperiled individual from abody of water, comprising:providing a net; providing a ballast;detachably securing said ballast to said net at a lower portion thereof;providing a cable; providing a hook secured to a lower portion of saidnet, said hook provided with a quick release mechanism; providing saidnet with a member having a channel extending generally entire lengththereof so that said cable can pass therethrough in order to guide saidcable and to generally protect and prevent entanglement of said cable,said cable attached to said quick release mechanism an extending throughsaid channel and extending from an upper portion of said net in order toallow manual detachment of said ballast from said net, said quickrelease mechanism responsive to generally upward movement of said cablein order to generally preclude inadvertent activation of said quickrelease mechanism; positioning said net so that it generally blocksmovement of the individual in the water; moving said net into aconfiguration allowing it to generally at least partly enclose theindividual therein; removing said net together with the individual atleast partly enclosed therein from the body of water.
 16. A system forrescuing an imperiled individual from a body of water, comprising:a netfor blocking undesired movement of the individual in the body of waterand for at least partly enclosing the individual therein; means forremoving at least a portion of said net together with the individualfrom the body of water; a ballast connected to said net in order togenerally keep said net generally vertically positioned to enhanceeffective blocking of said net; a cable; a hook connected to said cableand to said ballast; a main body; a latch member rotatably connected tosaid main body; a plate slidably mounted on said main body and connectedto said cable, said plate having an indentation, said indentationreceiving said latch member to enable said latch member to retain saidballast in said hook; a spring mounted on said main body and engagingsaid plate, said spring exerting a force on said plate in order toretain said latch member in said indentation, generally upward movementof said cable disengaging said plate from said latch member to allowweight of said ballast to rotate said latch member and release saidballast from said hook.